Neighbors alarmed as Hill's dogs return after attack reports

Kerry Hill’s pit bull mixes were back at her Cumming-area home after a string of attacks on neighbors’ dogs, and residents on Aldrich Drive said the return left them wondering whether a private citizen would have been treated the same way.

A county animal control report tied the dogs to Hill, the Forsyth County District 1 commissioner, and neighbors said the animals had previously been removed after attacks that left pets injured. In the most recent case, Angela Thompson said her home security camera captured a January attack that badly injured her goldendoodle and required stitches. Another neighbor said a separate attack on their dog left the animal with 17 stitches.

Neighbors said they were surprised and alarmed to learn this week that the dogs were back at the Hill household. Their concern was not only about what the dogs had done, but about whether the county would have handled the case differently if the owner were not an elected official. One neighbor questioned Hill’s decision to vote on an animal ordinance change five days after the latest attack, saying the timing raised a conflict of interest because the measure would change how a dangerous dog is defined.

Hill responded that she took full responsibility for the incidents and said both dogs, identified in the WSB-TV report as Cranberry and Bean, had completed extensive training. She said she did not recuse herself from the ordinance vote because her position reflected her policy views and the change would apply to everyone, including her.

The episode lands in the middle of a broader county debate over animal control rules. Forsyth County’s ordinance draft, posted in December 2024, adds and clarifies definitions for terms such as classified dog, dangerous dog and substantial injury or substantial puncture. Georgia law also sets a framework for dangerous-dog notices, hearings and other enforcement steps, while Forsyth County’s Pet Adoption & Resource Center handles impoundment and owner reclaims.

For Forsyth County, the dispute has become about more than two dogs on one street. It has turned into a test of whether the county enforces its rules evenly, whether residents are warned and protected quickly enough, and how much trust remains when a commissioner is at the center of the complaint.